By Melissa Werthmann, News Correspondent
Rain or shine, Husky Ambassadors tour Northeastern’s campus with groups of prospective students and their concerned parents to highlight some of the university’s most marketable points.
Husky Ambassadors said they have seen a sharp increase in the number of prospective students visiting campus and that these visitors are always impressed with Northeastern’s beauty, given its urban setting. Aside from leading tours, Husky Ambassadors also volunteer for open houses and help with Welcome Days for accepted students.
Maria Stevens, senior chemical engineering major, has been a Husky Ambassador for three and a half years and also works in the Visitors Center part time. Stevens said people are surprised a city campus can be so green and attractive. She said the standard tour route includes a visit to a classroom, the Marino Center, Stetson East, Snell Library, Curry Student Center, Centennial Common, and Cabral and the Egan Research centers.
“We try to make sure people leave here with a student perspective,” Stevens said.
Stevens said the busiest season for tours is April, right before high school seniors have to make their final decisions.
Throughout the many tours she has given, Stevens said she has encountered some overbearing parents who tend to ask some unusual questions.
“It usually hits parents what is happening once we hit the dorms,” she said.
Stevens said this is when some parents ask about curfews, but that others can have outlandish questions, such as what the wildlife is like at Northeastern.
Husky Ambassadors have a Student Leadership Council (SLC) that is similar to an executive board, Stevens said, but does not include hierarchical positions. Rather, it is just a chance for students to take on more of a leadership role, while keeping the organization balanced and democratic.
Steve Munnelly has been a Husky Ambassador for four years and is a co-fellow of the organization. He said his position involves creating schedules, coordinating monthly meetings and overseeing all of the actions within the group. He said the SLC is an expanding leadership council, which focuses on recruitment, retention, alumni and admissions relations and programming for members.
Munnelly, a senior health sciences major, said his most memorable encounter occurred when two female students were laying on their stomachs sunbathing in the West Village Quad with their bathing suits untied in the back.
A mother became very angry at the sight of this, asking whether there was any decency at Northeastern.
Munnelly said he responded, “There is no law in our handbook that says you must have tan lines.”
Munnelly said parents often ask hard-hitting questions. Some have asked him if he has ever been “sexiled,” what his worst experience at Northeastern has been, and how many students get transported by ambulance each year.
“There are many parents that don’t hold back, and rightfully so,” Munnelly said, “But there are some lines that have been crossed.”
Some parents have even tried to set up their son or daughter with a tour guide, he said.
Justin Marshall, senior psychology major, was inspired to become a Husky Ambassador when he first toured Northeastern.
“My original campus tour was really great and I was looking to get more involved,” said Marshall, who has been an ambassador for four years.
Marshall agreed that most visitors are struck by the beauty of campus, but also enjoy the campus atmosphere.
“What we work hard to impress them with is the friendliness on campus, students and faculty alike,” he said.
Marshall said that the key to a good tour is an enthusiastic tour guide.
“There is a responsibility of being a tour guide,” he said. “But it’s really a fun group to be a part of.”
